Gardening for Pollinators

Have you ever wondered about pollinators and how their lives happen to be so intertwined with our very own lives? Without pollinators, much of the food we eat would not be available for our nourishment and our enjoyment! After wondering about this for awhile, I decided to look into their life cycle to see how we all fit together. It seems to start with ecosystems.

Ecosystems

The Earth is made up of naturally occurring geographical areas with similar climate, geology and soils. Within each of those ecoregions, typically there are a number of ecological regions referred to as ecosystems made up of plants, animals, birds, butterflies, insects, organisms and the physical environment or habitat in which they live. Typically, all these elements in the ecosystem develop a mutually dependent relationship which becomes a Circle of Life.

Pollination and the Circle of Life

Pollination is a very important element of the Circle of Life. Why? Because the Circle of Life starts with plants and most plants depend upon pollination to reproduce.

Plants absorb sunlight energy through photosynthesis – solar power!

They use that energy to produce more plant material from water, carbon dioxide in the air, and nutrients from the soil.

In the process they give off oxygen – thank goodness!

Herbivores (primary consumers) eat the plants and use the nutrients to produce more herbivore.

Predators (secondary consumers ) eat the herbivores and use the nutrients to produce more carnivore.

When death comes, a vast suite of soil organisms (bacteria and fungi) decompose the material, returning the nutrients to the soil.

Which makes the nutrients available for plants to take up again, completing the Circle of Life.

Pollination is a reproductive process. Flowers offer food (nectar) to pollinators in exchange for reproduction. It occurs when pollen is transferred from the anther (male part of flower) to the stigma (female part of flower). And, it’s important to life because without pollination, we would not have vegetables and fruits to eat, and plants could not reproduce from season to season.

What Role do Pollinators Play?

Although some pollen is dispersed by the wind, birds, butterflies, bees and other insects and animals are the main transporters of pollen between flowers, hence the term pollinators. They carry the pollen which is a fine powdery dust found in the male part of the plant (anther) and contains the plant’s sperm to the female part of the plant (stigma). Some pollinators have special structures by which they carry the pollen — like the native bees. Others like butterflies, bats and other insects carry the pollen from one flower to another when it affixes itself to their bodies, legs and wings.

Gardening for Pollinators

Flowers and pollinators co-evolved, developing features that make the exchange of pollen and nectar successful. To support native pollinators, we need to grow the native plants with which they evolved. Because they evolved together, native plants have the “right” features. Here are some examples.

A bee using it’s long tongue to collect nectar from this Virginia Bluebell. Photo by Joy Perry

Hummingbird exchanging pollen for nectar from this Cardinal Flower. Birds have great vision and are especially attracted to red. Photo by Larry Master

A syrphid fly using the landing platform offered by the Lanceleaf Coreopsis. Photo courtesy of NH Garden Solutions.

Pollen is carried away from this Sneezewed in this native bumblebee’s pollen sac. Photo by Robert Carlson

Pollinators get nectar from dangling on outstretched tubular flowers like this native honeysuckle vine by lapping the sugars with their long tongues. Nectaries are located at the base of the tubes.

Skyblue Aster has the perfect landing platform for this native bumblebee. Photo by Robert Carlson

Butterflies, bees and moths smell with the tips of their legs, their antennae and their mouthes and long curled tongues. Milkweed is an excellent plant for nectaring because its tubular flowers are suitable for long tongues and its fragrant blossoms provide a landing platforom. Photo courtesy of St Louis Public Radio

Native habitat is disappearing rapidly in our USA as fencerows are being destroyed for crop farming and land is being developed for residential, commercial and manufacturing use.* It is important to support pollinators by growing native plants to provide nectar and pollen throughout the seasons, and to make sure host plants are included that provide food and shelter for larval development. It is also important to provide access to clean water and to create variable heights for shelter and nesting. Above all, use insecticides sparingly, if at all.

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The Oshkosh Independent is Oshkosh's locally owned independent news source, providing coverage of local news, events, music, art, business, religion, and more. Launched February 2015, Oshkosh Independent is a local-based media outlet comprised of contributors from throughout the Oshkosh community.

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